Paradise
by PprKyur
Summary: Paradise, Riku's nightly escape from reality. A dream world he fashioned for himself and no one else. Then one night a young teen comes along, entering his domain, bring with him the past, a miracle and stealing his heart. However, all dreams must come to an end. Do they not?


**Title: **Paradise

**Pairing/s: **Soriku

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Bad language, dark themes, homosexuality, etc.

**Summary: **Paradise, Riku's nightly escape from reality. A dream world he fashioned for himself and no one else. Then one night a young teen comes along, entering his domain, bring with him a miracle and stealing his heart. However, all dreams must come to an end. Do they not?

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§• _**Prologue**_ •§

Home was an odd place for the small six-year-old silver haired child to live in. Not to long ago the next-door neighbors had found his kind-hearted father hanging from a metal bar attached to the ceiling within the open garage. A note made form his own blood painted on the floor admitting that his wife was the criminal police where looking for and where to find her crime scene. She so happened to be famous and extremely feared serial killer who was well known for taking the eyes and hearts of men and women. Leaving the rest of their dismembered bodies in neatly wrapped presents for people who visited parks around the area to find and open.

Although, the child didn't understand what was going on with his mother or father. He had taken in the fact that they were both gone, never for him to see again. Or so the lady that he was currently living at home with told him the night he watched his mother get arrested and dragged away as she laughed like an insane maniac. Cursing loudly at her recently dead husband for being a coward and turning her in.

He couldn't make any sense of what she had done wrong. The charming silver haired woman had always been endearing, gentle and soft-spoken. Singing sweet melodies when he was tried and couldn't sleep on his own. Reading or making up exquisite tales of adventure and love that left him wondering if he too would one day travel about and have such an amazing thing happen to him. She was and had been perfect, no signs of imperfections. No dead giveaway that screamed she was an unstable serial kill, just the ideal image of a wonderful mother with a loving husband and beautiful, intelligent child.

So due to all those facts and lack of understanding, the young child no longer felt like he belonged at home. Home was no longer his, not without his mother or father. To him it was now an unfamiliar place that also felt cold and lonely, even if there was an adult there to care for him as much as his parents had.

"Riku?" the sound of his name cause him to blink, no words escaping to form a reply. He couldn't even if he tried. Since the day he was born he had been mute, only the small motions of his hands allowing for him to give a respond. It was either that or a note pad and pencil so he could write what was on his mind.

Not hearing another word from his new guardian's mouth, Riku stood up from where he had been sitting and thinking. It'd only been a week and the stress of not seeing either of his parents was slowly getting to him. Making him wish he could join them. Yet, not knowing where they happened to be led him to wait. While wishing they would come thought the front door, call him out and hold him before asking if he'd like something to eat or perhaps play a game.

Letting the thought drift away from his developing mind, he continued to walk around. Ears perked up in case the old woman called him once again, or happened to speak something new out into the air. Nonetheless, such a hint never came as he explored what once felt like home, soon finding the old female in the kitchen serving two plates of freshly made dinner.

"Ah Riku, there you are. I was getting worried when you didn't answer," the lady who was well over fifty mentioned with a smile that the six-year-old returned as he took a seat on the barstool. There wasn't much left within the house, just a bit of old furniture and everything in his room which had been untouched. Most of what was inside the home had been sold for a reason Riku didn't know.

Give his guardian a small, odd glance, he took his hand and quickly signed that he couldn't speak, trying to remind the woman he was in fact mute. Of course, it didn't matter how many times he signed or wrote his disability down, she continued to call him and wait for him to clearly speak out an answer he could never give. And this caused a little more stress on the young boy whose family had been broken in a blink of an eye.

"Riku honey, how many times have I told you I don't understand your silly hand games? I know you have been really upset because your mother and father are gone, but you need to speak up." Such words made Riku glare at the counter top as his food was placed before him. He no longer wanted to eat, he was angry and wished he could toss his meal at the lady and scream he couldn't speak. Still, the silver haired child knew and was taught better. So he simply took his spoon and began to eat his chicken soup, making sure not to slurp like his mother had also taught him.

If Riku hated anything more than someone asking him to speak, it was bath time. He didn't like someone he only known for about a week seeing him nude, scrubbing his form or even washing his hair. He believed he was old enough to do it himself, but due to the lack of verbal protest, he was forced to endure his nightly baths. At least, the old lady allowed him to dry and dress himself.

Riku might have mentally snapped that night. He didn't get a bedtime story or a song to put him to sleep like he normally would from his mother. Yet, when his cyan eyes had opened, he was no longer in his bed or the empty place he was force to call home. No, he was now in a wonderland. One he had thought he'd seen countless of times on TV or in Disney movie. It was as if he's found his own _paradise_, a place to finally call his own. A setting that felt warm like his mother's touch and kind like his father's heart. It was perfect, and he didn't want it to end.

However, all dreams must come to an end. And Riku quickly learned this as he tossed to the side in his bed, and the sun from the bedroom window shined thought waking him up. He hadn't made an attempt to fully wake up or get out of bed. He had simply shut his eyes again, mind trying to recreate the world he had walking about and playing in. But no matter how hard he tried to dream, to sleep, it never came. So he knew it was time to give up and start a new day away from the world he had made and named.

Breakfast was a disaster. The fire alarm had gone off, screeching that the house was on fire, when it was only the kitchen stove. The old hag had somehow set fire to a pot of water. And instead of putting out the small fire with a bucket of water, she had ran to the living room and called the fire department. Allowing the fire to grow and burn more of the stove and the cabinets that where nailed down above it long ago.

Riku was positive that was the moment that his loathe for the woman began, or so he thought. Truth was that it had grown the moment she told him to speak up. Now sitting in class, he stared at the dry erase board. His eyes just gazing at the white wall as the teacher spoke, attempting to show them how to form a simple sentence. Something that Riku learned years ago so that he could communicate with his family.

Resting his head on the cold desk he shared with a kid whose name he never learned, he began to doze off. Once fast asleep he found himself in Paradise, the wonderland that belonged to him, his safe heaven. Getting up from the ground he had been laying on, his feet led the way as he looked around. It was autumn and the sky seemed tired. While leaves were an orange red, and everything seemed to slowly be dying.

Nonetheless, this cause joy to Riku as he bounced along, snickers leaving footprints on the dirt floor. Being in such a new place cause him wonder as he walked about, small forming entering a short tunnel from that seemed like a dead and hollowed out tree trunk. Running threw it he opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out, reminding Riku that even if he had found a safe place away from the world outside, he couldn't fully escape reality.

"Riku. Riku honey wake up, it's snack time," called out a voice that seemed to come from heaven as the child watched the land around him shake. He didn't want to wake up yet, even if it meant he would be getting a snack to munch on. He wanted to see, explore some more and be alone. However, no matter what he did to stay asleep, Paradise began to wash out in white like last night, disappearing into nothing as his eyes slowly opened, taking in the soft face of his teacher.

Although, the instructor didn't enjoy when a students fell asleep in her class, she had heard about what disturbing issues had been going on in Riku's life. So she couldn't help but give him a few special privileges. She was willing to break a few rules in order for the child to feel happy and not so stressed. Plus, the silver haired child was intelligent and wouldn't have any trouble with what she had been teaching earlier that day unlike the other students in her small class.

Taking his PB and J sandwich, he ate slowly, listening to everything that the kids around him had to say. They never spoke to him for they couldn't read very well or understand his 'hand games', so he was alone for the most part. Not that this mattered much to him. Yes, he felt lonesome. Yes, he got sad. But in the end without a way to communicate there wasn't much he could do, so he accepted this fact and stayed as content as he could.

By the time school came to an end which was at noon, Riku had grown a little desperate to get home and go back to sleep. After his snack he had been called to the office where different police officers had asked him strange questions about his mother. He hadn't known how to answer them. To him, his mama was perfect and not the kind of monster they seemed to make her out to be. She wasn't like the scary killer clown that he had seen in a horror movie once. She was sweet, kind, caring and most of all, he wanted her back so his papa could also come back and they could once again be happy. Home once again feeling like it should be, a _home_.

Finally flopping onto his bed, he curled into a petite ball. He didn't want to interact with anymore, not even his caretaker. It wasn't like she would have a proper conversation with him or make him feel like he was truly wanted. She was just there and nothing more. Shutting his eyes, he felt his small and tried form begin to relax as the warm summer air came in from the slightly open window. It was time to sleep and hopefully never wake up. He wanted to stay in Paradise, and with any luck his parents would find him there and they could start a new…

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They never told the five-year-old that his real parents didn't want him. So to him the lovely female and strong male were his parents. While the small girl he had a tiny crush on was his adopted sister. They were an odd family, but to him it was perfect, even if he couldn't see what colors made them up. To him everything was like a black and white photograph. Hues of gray making up every picture in his mind since the day he was born.

He never really thought about why he was born with sight like that, and in a way it didn't matter to him. All he cared about was being with his family and feeling happy. Which more than half the time he was, unless his mama got sad because papa had to go away for a while due to his work. However, he always reminded her that his father cared about her and was only going away so that they could keep living the nice life then had. Hearing such words from someone so small always made the small brunet's mother smile.

Rubbing his blue sleepy eyes, he snuggled against his mother. His sister had been put to bed about an hour ago. He should have also fallen asleep, but he was stubborn and promised he wasn't tired at all. Now an hour later, he was having a very hard time keeping his eyes open. The gentle way his mother played with his hair not helping one bit, which made him think she was doing it on purpose. Not that he mind if she was.

"Sora, dear… I think it's time we get you to bed," a soft voice spoke keeping Sora from dozing off right where he sat. Letting out a yawn, his eyes drooped as sleep began to take over. Slowly, the child tried to get up from the small couch he and his mother had been sitting on while watching a show that somewhere along the lines had become plain and boring news. Yet, before he could get up, he found himself in the arms of his mother as she carried him off to bed, sweet tone singing gently so that he could finally rest his body and mind.

Waking up when he had felt so tired had been the strangest thing to have ever happened in Sora's very short life. All he could see was tall green grass and white flowers that seemed to glow a soft light blue, which caused him to gasp rather loudly. Quickly sitting up, he got on his hands and knees. His nose was only millimeters away from a small white bud that was yet to expand and show its beauty.

Laughing loudly, the small five-year-old couldn't believe where he was or how such a magnificent world had come to being. He knew he hadn't made it. There was no way he could have imagined such beauty and so many different hues of color. This sudden realization left Sora to go from laughing to a gasping like one did when someone they love and care for took the time to get them the gift they could only dream of having.

Crawling forward, tiny hands pressed the rich green colored grass down. The way it felt upon the child's hands feeling so real he was started to suspect that this wasn't a dream, but an unknown form of reality. Either way, Sora didn't let his brain linger on the confusing thought. It couldn't have, not when the small boy's eyes were taking so many knew sights in. A sight he had always forced his heart to deny that it wanted.

"I can see color," the child whispered as he stopped in his tracks and sat up again, head barely poking out from the tall meadow he had woken up at. He was still taking everything in and once he let it all seep into his mind, he had stood up and began to run, his small feet leaving footprints as they crushed the grass down to the dirt under.

"I can see color! I can see, I can see! I CAN SEE~" Sora sung loudly, arms spread out like the wings of a plane. He had been having the time of his life due to such a miracle that he hadn't noticed the young silver haired child staring at him with wide, shocked cyan eyes.

It was more than a shocker for Riku to see someone else in his dream world. Especially, since it was also a kid, a loud one at that too. The moment he had entered Paradise, he had too found himself in the large flower filled meadow. However, unlike the brunet, he had deiced to simply lie in the grass and watch the clouds go by. Let them suck in the stress and sadness he was feeling because of the events in his life. It had been when he heard screaming he even dared to looked away from the sky and sit up, his sight quickly catching the form of the small child that happened to be running around while pretending to be a plane in the light blue sky.

"Hey you! What do you think you're doing here!" where the words that lead Sora to stop and finally turn around, along with Riku to take a step back, hand creeping up to his neck and caressing it gently. Just like Sora, he's never heard such a voice. It sounded so odd, yet fitting as both boys locked their gaze for the first time, setting what was to come in motion.

Taking a few gentle steps forward, the five-year-old raised his right hand and waved, cheesy grin on his face as he answered loudly, "I'm playing! Would you like to join?" He had asked while getting a funny look from the six-year-old whose hair was like the color of the shimmering flowers around them.

"I— Um sure," it was odd to hear his voice come out so easily and clearly. To know that it had been released into the air in the tone he would have had if he hadn't been born a mute. Slowly letting his hand fall from his neck and to his side, he began to walk to where the child who was around his age was. He wanted to ask him a few things, like how he had made it for him to be able to speak. After all, Riku had tried each time he had visited on his own, yet nothing ever seemed to come out.

"Great! Do you have any ideas of what to play?" Sora asked, tone not so loud as he too made his way to the silver haired male. Eyes never leaving the other's form incase the colors he was seeing would leave him, never to appear again. He also had a few question. He wanted to know if Riku was the maker of the world they were in. Some thing told him that the boy was. Yet, maybe there were others here and not just them. Either way, to him it looked like Riku was willing to be his friend and play with him.

The two hadn't taken the time to ask questions, for as soon as they stood only a few inches away from one other, Sora had softly pushed Riku screaming he was it and a game of tag had started. It was funny how quickly the brunet could go from thinking one thing to playing and running around. However, it was Sora's carefree attitude that led Riku to forget all his problems that were going on when he was awake and simply enjoy what every child his age should. Which was what it felt like to speak, play and slowly make a new and his first friend.

They couldn't say how long they ran along and through the grass, warm wind flowing around them, causing the flowers to sway as if they were dancing. All either of the boys knew was that Riku was a fast runner and Sora not so much. Yet, such a trivial fact made the game much more enjoyable. Even when Riku had slowed down just to give Sora a chance to tag him and cause him to be it once again.

Falling back onto the grassland, the two children gasped for air, small beads of sweat falling from their foreheads, while their cheeks were stained in a light hue of pink. They had worn themselves out like never before. However, they felt it was worth it. Sitting up, Riku looked at Sora, tender gaze in his cyan eyes as he spoke. "I'm _" he tried to introduce himself, everything but his name escaping his lips.

He didn't understand why he couldn't say his name. Maybe the world had rules? But why would it? Riku never took the time to create them. Could it be that even if he had made the world, it had a mind of its own much like the real world did when he was awake? He didn't know, all he knew was that the younger child had give him a funny look as Riku fingertips pressed against his mouth before he tried again. Once more his name not being spoke.

Blinking as his head tilted to the side, Sora's left eyebrow rose slightly. He didn't know why or how, but it seemed that each time Riku tired to say his name he couldn't. Opening his mouth, he too tried to speak, the same event that was going on with the silver haired child quickly happening to him as well. It didn't matter how hard or loud he attempted to scream his own name out for his new friend to know and hear it, it just wouldn't come out. So after the tenth try, Sora had given up, small brain trying to think of a different way to tell Riku his name.

It took them a while to think of something. However, it had been Riku who let out the loud 'ah ha' as he took his finger and began to dig into the dirt. "I got it! Maybe we can write it in the dirt." he said as he turned his head and gazed at five-year-old, finger working on the R of his name. Of course, just like how the world didn't allow them to speak their names, it didn't permit Riku to write the first letter of his name. It didn't matter how many times he wrote an R, it always came out as a cloud, raindrop or some sort of random symbol.

It was then when Sora suggested they spell it out. The idea had seemed so perfect, but was quickly crushed by a muteness that neither of the young boys could seem to find a way around. So close on giving up on introductions, the younger of the two had spoke again, voice tiny as it rang with a tiny hint of laughter, "Let give each other nicknames. I might not be able to say your real name, but if I give you a nickname I can still call you something. Plus, it'll be a special name that only I can call you. What do you say?"

Riku shyly nodded his head as he looked at his legs, trying to think of something that fit Sora. It took them longer than they had hoped, but within the time that felt like half an hour, both young boys had a name for one another. Riku's name for the younger child being more fitting than Sora's had been for Riku. However, even so, Riku couldn't help but still like his nickname, no matter how much he faked that it was dumb. After all, he could call Sora something and that was all that matter at the moment.

Yet, as lovely as the moment had been both Sora and Riku know it was going to end soon, even if they tired to convince themselves other wise mentally. And just as they had predicted Sora suddenly fell onto the grass with a deep intake of breath, cerulean eyes hazing over. It had taken a bit before Riku could even comprehend what had been happened to his new and dare he call best friend. Yet watching such an event, cause him to shout loudly as he took the small brunet into his arm.

"Sunbeam, come on! Please don't play like this…" Riku quickly clutch Sora tightly, hands holding on for dear life as he smaller child's form began to glitch much like a TC screen did when something was wrong with the channel. The five-year-old's body was twitching as he gasped for air that wouldn't enter his lungs. He was unable to do much but allow the other to hold him, as he begged to stop fooling around.

Yet this wasn't a game, no matter how many times Riku tried to tell himself it was. This wasn't right, this couldn't be right! Why was Paradise doing this to Sora, to his new and only friend? Was Riku meant to be alone? Was this world trying to kill Sora? What had he… what had they done wrong?!

The answered in Riku's head never came. The land didn't speak to him or give him answers he desperately needed. It just allowed Sora to suffer as he body began to turn blue due to the child gave up on his attempt to fill his lungs with oxygen. Paradise didn't want him and as Riku sobbed, tiny hands holding his best and only friend tightly, things seem to come to and end. The body in his arms glitching a few more times before shattering and fading into dust.

Soon the world around Riku went white as he woke up, form drenched in sweat. Mouth wide open as if to scream, yet nothing coming out. He could say how long he stayed in bed, hands holding his pillow tightly as he cried alone no one within the large home noticing. All he did know was that when he had fallen asleep that night he was back in the world he made, Sora nowhere in sight. His safe heaven no longer felt as such… it was like home, a place that didn't feel like it should.

§• _**Prologue**_ – END •§

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**AN:** This is my first story in a long while, so I would love it if you'd all let me know if it's worth continuing or not. All questions will be answered either privately or on my tumblr, the link can be found on my page. I will try to update every other week on Saturday or Sunday night, okie? Also if anymore would like to beta please let me know? Anyways, thank you all for reading. :3

~ PprKyur


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